photo #9020578

I grew up in Chicago Illinois. Southside side, Englewood. On Sunday's if you were going to church you got ready and went ...It was during a time, when everyone treated each other like Family. We went outside to play, we got dirty.... We bought candy from the corner store. We played Red Light, Green Light, Kick the Can, Mother May I, Simon Says, Hide and Seek, Dodge Ball, Red Rover, Baseball, Softball and Football. We could ride our bikes all over the neighborhood or to friends, and stay all day. We ate hot dogs, mac and cheese & peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We walked or rode a bike everywhere and never worried about safety. We never thought to lock our windows or doors at night. We had lots of chores to do around the house, I emptied the garbage and klinkers, stoked the coal hopper, cut the grass with a push mower, etc. We weren't AFRAID OF ANYTHING, 'cept our parents. If you fell down you would just get back up. We challenged each other everywhere...King of the hill. If someone had a fight, that's what it was...a fight. Kids weren't afraid of fake guns when I grew up. Real guns were just a part of life and we respected them as well as our parents, our teachers, the American flag, the principal, the president AND God. We said the Pledge of Allegiance every time we went to school. We left our houses as soon as we could in the morning and right after school till our neighbors would yell out for their children as a reminder to get in the house for the night. If one kid was called for dinner then we all knew to go home. We watched our mouths around our elders because we knew If we DISRESPECTED any adult there would be a price to pay and we had manners and respect otherwise someone else's parents put you in your place. I would not trade anything for the childhood we had, for we had enough and we had love and all that made us the adults we are today. Hold your finger down to copy and paste. Please re-post with your town if you're proud that you came from a close knit community and will never forget where you came from!!